


Booksmart

by my_name_is_gil



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, F/M, Other, Widojest - Freeform, Widojest Week, bookshop au, did anyone stop me? absolutely not., did i get carried away? perhaps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_name_is_gil/pseuds/my_name_is_gil
Summary: Four college students try their best to set up their shut-in boss (with help from his private journal.)
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett/Reanminere "Reani", Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast, Marius LePual/Bryce Feelid
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24
Collections: Widojest Week 2020





	1. Stolen Secrets

The sign on the front of The Wandering Word Bookshop read as follows:

  
_Monday through Thursday: 9:00am to 8:00pm_  
_Friday through Saturday: 9:00am to 10:00pm_  
_Sunday: 9:00am to 12:00pm_

  
Sunday mornings from 9:00 to noon, one could find Mr. Widogast behind his front desk, writing. His red hair falls in waves as he bent over the book, determined to make sure no one could read it. The four college students he employed in his shop had their theories as to what he could be doing. Some said writing the Great American Novel. Or perhaps the Great German Novel, if that exists. One of them thought he was writing in a diary, hence the secretive nature. She also had a slight crush on their admittedly handsome boss, so the others wrote her off as biased. But they were all sure of one thing: Mr. Widogast was a private man. Some may even say mysterious. No one knew anything about him outside of his bookshop, or if he had a personal life at all. But he was too kind for the curious college students to pry. He was a good boss, and this was a good job.  
"Reani? Bryce?" Mr. Widogast called through the bookshop. They were usually the only two on staff Sunday mornings. Marius was usually off recovering from a hangover that's only worsened every night since Thursday. Dairon was usually off at her second job, teaching Muay Thai at the local dojo.  
They approached the front desk, where their boss was holding their paycheck for the week. It was always in a simple white envelope, with their names written on the back in a fine, somewhat shaky hand.  
"Here's your pay for the week." He said calmly as he handed them their envelopes. "Bryce, thank you for covering Marius when he was… sick on Friday." They watched the corner of his mouth creep up as he tried not to chuckle. "Are either of you seeing him any time soon? I would like to give him his pay, but I'm becoming unsure of when I shall see him next."  
"I could stop by his dorm if you'd like." Bryce spoke up. "Since he's so sick, I doubt he'll be going anywhere else."  
Mr. Widogast smiled briefly. "You can never be too sure, though." He said with a wink, and Bryce couldn't help but smile back.  
"Of course, Mr. Widogast. I'll do my best to get it to him." They nodded, and Mr. Widogast sifted through some of the various papers on the desk. His nose crinkled as he looked up to the ceiling for a second.  
"I believe I left that envelope in my apartment. Hold on one moment. I'll be right back." He sat up from his chair and climbed the spiral staircase behind it. He walked up it slowly and carefully every time. Reani was watching him climb it until Bryce bumped her arm with their elbow. She looked at them, and they nodded their head towards the desk. Sitting there, unguarded, was Mr. Widogast's notebook. The cover was made of dark, worn leather, and the edges of the paper were starting to yellow. A small red bookmark stuck out from the top, facing them. She immediately started going behind the desk before Bryce grabbed her arm.  
"What are you doing?" They whispered, concern in their voice.  
"I'm just gonna check a page." she said. She tried getting out of their grip, but it tightened.  
"What if he sees you?"  
Reani looked into Bryce's soft blue eyes. "What if we never get this opportunity again?" Bryce faltered just long enough to loosen their grip, and Reani immediately broke from it. She dashed behind the desk, careful to avoid the click her heels made on the hardwood floor. She flipped to the page with the bookmark, whipped out her phone, and took a picture of the page. She then closed the book and ran back to her spot as Mr. Widogast began to descend from his apartment. He had put on his old, tattered coat like he was going to run an errand. If he suspected anything, he didn't let on. He still seemed to be in his own world as he handed the envelope to Bryce.  
"Here you go." Mr. Widogast sighed. "If you need to slide it under his door, that should do."  
Bryce hesitated before they spoke. "I don't think I could do that, sir. His new roommate is a little shady."  
"Fair enough." He gave a sad smile as his eyes perused the desk. He saw his book and casually swept it into the folds of the beat-up coat. "By the way, before you leave, I need to mention something."  
Both Reani and Bryce stopped breathing for a moment as they looked to their boss. He put his hand on their shoulders. "Your textbooks for the semester should be coming in on Tuesday. I apologize that they will be so late, but it was the best I could do. I suppose they're high in demand."  
They sighed in relief together. "Thank you." Reani replied shakily.  
"Yes, thank you." Bryce echoed.  
"You will still be getting the employee discount on those. The prices for textbooks are so absurd. I can't imagine paying full price for that."  
They both thanked him again as they turned and walked out the front door of the shop. The cool September air rushed in as they looked at each other in disbelief.  
"I can't believe you did that." Bryce sighed finally.  
"I can't believe it either.”


	2. What Next?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reani goes for backup, and Bryce goes as a moral compass.

"I can't tell if I feel bad about this yet." Reani was walking quickly down Spring Street with Bryce following as closely as they could. Though Reani always wore heels, she had gotten very accustomed to practically jogging to get to class on time. It took until they turned down Zadash Road before Bryce realized where Reani was heading.

"No. Oh, no no no no," they groaned. "We're so not doing this."

"What?" Reani replied. "Don't you think they'll want to know too?"

"No. Honestly, I don't think they'll care. Except they might care enough to get us fired." Reani shook her head as she kept up her pace. Bryce had to jog to be able to keep up. "Seriously, Ri, can you slow down?"

She stopped and Bryce nearly ran into her. "Look." she sighed. "I'm kind of freaking out right now, and I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing. If I can-"

"What are you two doing?" The familiar voice of Dairon rang out down the street. The pair turned to find them walking in their direction. With them was their coworker Beau, the assistant instructor from the dojo. They were both sweaty, wearing loose-fitting pants, sneakers, and tank tops with the  _ Cobalt Soul Karate _ logo in the top corner. Bryce had to elbow Reani to snap her out of her trance.

"Looking for you, actually." She stumbled over her words briefly. "Can we talk for a second?"

"If it's about Marius, I know he called out hungover, and I don't care." Dairon clenched her teeth. "I must have received a hundred snapchats from him, drunk as a cheap date, all weekend."

"I know, and I'm so sorry. Just block him, that's all he does." Bryce shook their head as Reani continued. "It's actually about Mr. Widogast."

"Caleb?" Beau questioned, and Reani looked at her confused.

"You know Mr. Widogast?" She looked up at Beau and tried not to blush. Beau was a senior, so Reani had not had much opportunity to talk to the attractive upperclassman. She had deeply tanned skin and a smirk, and blue eyes that always made Reani forget where she was.

"Know him?" Beau laughed. "He's one of my best friends! The guy's like a brother to me. Like a weird, homeless-looking brother."

"Beauregard is the one who got me the job at the shop." Dairon continued. "That's why he's so flexible with my schedule."

Reani nodded, and Beau smiled. "So what's up with him? Is he forgetting to change his shirt every day? He does that sometimes."

"Uh, no." Reani stuttered. "It's just, I- You know that book of his? The old brown one?"

"Carries it around everywhere? Beat to shit? I know about it, yeah. No idea what's in it, though. He never lets anyone see it."

"Well..." Reani gulped. "He was going to give them Marius' paycheck, but he left it upstairs so he had to go up to his apartment to get it, and while he was there he left it open so I maybe sorta kinda-"

"She took a picture of a page." Bryce blurted and shut their eyes like they expected to get roundhoused into their next lifetime. After a few seconds, they opened to see Beau grinning and Dairon simply confused.

"No. Fucking. Way!" Beau practically yelled. "I've been trying to get a peek at that book for-fucking-ever!" She moved closer to Reani. "What is it? Is it a diary? He would be the kind of sucker to write in a diary in his thirties."

"I mean... I haven't even looked at it yet, so I don't know."

Beau feigned surprise, which made Reani chuckle nervously. "Pull it up then! It might not even be anything juicy. Maybe it's just a grocery list."

"It could be inventory and sales for the shop." Dairon spoke up. "He only writes in it on Sundays, yes? That would be the logical option."

Beau waved them off. “That’s no fun.” She moved away from Dairon to get a better view of Reani’s phone screen. With Beau looking over her shoulder, Reani caught herself holding her breath at the proximity. She tried to ignore Beau’s scent as she pulled up the picture. Bryce and Dairon's curiosity got the best of them, and they moved in alongside their acquaintances.

They quickly found that Mr. Widogast’s casual handwriting was not unlike him: rushed and practically indecipherable. After adjusting the brightness of the screen, Beau read aloud.


	3. Entry #1428

_ Entry #1428: September 22 _

_ I only know three things about the girl with blue hair. _

_ One is that she likes boats. She has one of those little electric sailboats that she brings to the park. It has a name on the side, I think. I've never gotten close enough to see what it says. It's white with blue lining, and a lot of little drawings all over it. It's a nice little boat, and I always look forward to seeing it. _

_ Two: She has a lovely smile. Every Sunday, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, she arrives at the park with a smile on her face. In the cover of the gazebo, rain or shine. She is always there. Sometimes, there would be hints of sadness in that smile. But by the time her boat is in the water, there's a brightness to her that's... remarkable. She watches it zip around at an impressive speed, and I watch her try to weave it through the ducks and geese on the pond’s surface. She is certainly hellbent on causing chaos amongst the wildlife. Then she picks up her things, smiles at her boat, and leaves. _

_ Number three, and most important, is this: She is the most beautiful person I've ever seen. _

_ There are a few things I would like to know. What the drawings on her boat are for. How her voice sounds. A name, I admit, would be nice. But I shall watch the little blue boat go by. Special things are meant to be appreciated, not known. _


	4. Is This Stalking?

"Shit." Beau whispered. "He's even more sappy than I thought."

"What're we gonna do?" Reani looked to Beau.

"What do you mean 'what're we gonna do?'" Bryce protested. "Haven't we meddled in his business enough?"

"Bryce is right." Dairon sighed. "You two could already get in a lot of trouble for this. It's not worth it to meddle in his personal life."

"It's not?" Beau interjected. She sounded almost distraught, and it was jarring for everyone. They stopped to look at her, curious.

"Caleb has been alone for as long as I've known him." she continued. "He's had the bookshop, his friends - when he remembers he has them. And that's it. But for some reason, I've never thought of him as lonely. I never knew that was something he wanted. I would be a shitty friend to not do what I can, right?"

Reani eyes shined looking at Beau. She almost looked heroic with that determined look on her face, and sweat on her brow.

She almost didn't hear Bryce protest, "Then get him a dating profile like everyone else! Jeez! Does anyone else think this is ridiculous?"

"Yes, it is ridiculous." Dairon nodded.

"I'm not saying you have to help. If I get caught, I'll say I was the one snooping." She looked at Reani. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble if I'm the one being stupid."

"I don't think you're being stupid," Reani said softly. " I think you're trying to be a good friend. If you do something kinda bad to do something good for someone else, that's… good, isn't it?"

"Oh my god." Bryce put their hands on their head and began to walk back down the street. "I am not hearing this. I don't know any of you." They continued to mutter as they continued down the street, turned a corner, and left.

"Well, I'm gonna be dealing with that tomorrow." Reani sighed and put her hands through her thick, white hair. Beau put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that yet," she said, smirking. "We've got a nerd to follow. What time is it?"

Reani looked down at her phone. "It's 1:27. Why?"

"It's Sunday. That means the girl is going to be there in half an hour! We should go take a look. See if she lives up to the hype."

Dairon scowled. "Bryce is right. This is too much, and I can't stand by and let you ruin your friendship. I cannot say I know Mr. Widogast as well as you do, Beauregard, but he does not seem like the type to appreciate snooping in his private business."

"Oh, he's not." she replied. "That's why we're not gonna get caught."

"We?" Reani's voice caught in her throat. She normally would've jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with Beau, but this seemed risky. "You want me to come with you?"

"Yeah, of course. I need a second pair of eyes, and clearly it's not gonna be Dairon's."

"Fair enough." Reani kept her mild disappointment to herself. She knew that Dairon would always be more important to Beau than her, and it would be silly to assume otherwise. She nodded, her mind made up.

"Cool. Now let's get going. The park is about a 20 minute walk from here." Beau grabbed Reani's arm and started walking away from Dairon, in the same direction Reani had come from. Reani watched behind them as Dairon sighed, exasperated, put her hands in her pockets and began to continue walking to her car.

They walked quickly through the town, back past the Wandering Word, and curved left down Trostenwald Street.

"You know your way to the park well, huh?"

"Yeah, I've got a friend living on this street." Beau supplied. "I, eh…also used to take dates over there. It's a nice place, you know?"

"To… your friend's place?"

"Ah, god no." Beau backpedaled. "No, to the park. Caleb was actually the one that introduced me to the place, back when he was first talking of buying the space for that bookshop of his."

"How long have you two been friends?" Reani asked.

"About five years now, I'd say." She looked down and chuckled a little. "We didn't exactly get along super well at the start of it, but we both came around. He was a pain, though. Still is."

It was weird for Reani to hear about her boss like this. She had always really known him as the "mysterious handsome stranger" type. Hearing stories about his outside life felt foreign.

"We're almost there. Just so we're clear, we can't be seen by him."

"Are we gonna talk to the girl at all?"

"No, not yet. I just wanna see what happens. What she's like. Who knows? Maybe she's not even real and he's just making it up to pass the time. Shit gets boring when you're lonely." Reani wanted to say something, but she decided to keep quiet.

They found a bench nestled deep in a few butterfly bushes. Since it was the fall, there weren't so many bugs harassing them as they sat, but they found they had a good vantage point of the whole park.

Wildemount Park was about four town blocks worth of grass in the northern part of the town. Little picnic tables sat under a wide wooden gazebo, and small charcoal grills set up next to it. Reani looked and saw her boss, sitting at a little picnic table by himself. He was writing again, and occasionally looking down a specific path across the small pond that occupied the middle of the park. He looked almost nervous for some reason.

Reani checked her phone. 1:58. "She should be here soon," she said, and Beau crossed her arms and leaned back on the bench. She was trying to look cool, but Reani could see Beau's eyes repeatedly drifting towards the path where Mr. Widogast was looking.

"She'll be here soon," Reani whispered. "I'm sure of it."


	5. Spotted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb is faced with his greatest fear: pretty girls.

Caleb had been waiting since exactly 12:13 pm. He was sure of it. He checked his watch, darkened from the sun and worn with excessive use. 2:02 pm. He worried, once again, that she would not show up this week. Perhaps she’s sick, or out of town. He knew nothing about her; it very well could be possible. But what he does know of her is that she’s always there. And usually late. He likes to imagine she’s the type of person who’s always late.

He catches the blue out of his peripheral before anything else. Bouncing blue hair bounding down the path towards the lake. She was skipping. Her smile was authentic and bright today, and Caleb did everything he could to not look directly at her. The last thing he wanted was to be some creepy guy in a park. But still, he watched as he wrote, only occasionally peaking up to see her.

She wore a mustard yellow dress, long sleeved with a modest v-shaped neckline. The sleeves puffed out slightly in an almost regal manner. Tall brown suede boots and a matching belt and purse accompanied the very autumnal ensemble. She always seemed to dress very put together, Caleb noted. Again, she carried the little boat with her. She placed it gently in the lake, and reached into her purse to pull out the controls. She squatted down to give the boat a little pat, and then it was off. With precision, Caleb watched as she let the boat dodge through the moss and lily pads that dotted the surface of the lake. The geese that had taken a liking to a certain spot up until this point, and upon recognizing this vessel, launched off with all the grace of a newly born horse. They scattered as the boat parted the water where they were resting seconds before. She giggled to herself as she continued her regular antics. Caleb looked up just in time to meet the girl’s eyes. Unable to look away, he watched her smile and wave. He looked behind him, a little confused. There was no one there. As far as he knew, there was no one else in this park but the two of them. He had only realized too late that she had been waving at him, but by this point, too much time had passed. She was looking back at her boat, and he was looking at his own palm.  _ Scheisse _ , he thought to himself.  _ I am so bad at this. _

He decided it would be best to focus on his writing for now. He leaned forward, aware that his posture was that of the weeping willow trees that overlooked the lake, and did his best to concentrate. Thankfully, he was quite good at that when he had to be. He was so enveloped by his work that he didn’t hear the somewhat stealthy footfalls as he was approached.

“What’re you working on?” The voice was higher, with a thick, charming accent. Caleb felt he had jumped straight into the air as he heard it, and looked up to find the girl with blue hair immediately next to him. Seeing her closer, he could only gape. She had tanned skin, lightly freckled around the nose. Her eyes were an intensely dark brown, and her short bob hair was the color of a blueberry. It occurred to him that she wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she was still glowing to him. 

“I… um-” Caleb stuttered, remembered that she had addressed him. “I am just writing.”

“What’re you writing about? Anything interesting?” She sits down next to him at the table, still grinning. “Is it a diary? I love diaries.”

“No… I do not think it is. I only try to write whatever I’m thinking about. For practice.”

“That sounds like a diary to me,” she countered. “Don’t worry though. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a diary. I have one too! It’s mostly sketches, though.” She dug through her purse with purpose for a few moments, in time for Caleb to remember to breathe.  _ She’s here and she’s talking to me. _

“There it is!” she yelped as she pulled out a small notebook. It was a pink spiral notebook, and it looked about as worn as Caleb’s. There were many doodles and stickers on the front, but Caleb didn’t get to see it long enough to get a good look. “See, look! We match! And also-” She rummaged through the pages like a storm until she landed on one. “Look!” She turned it around for Caleb to see. A cartoonish sketch of a person with almost shoulder length hair sitting at a table took up an entire page. Though it was clearly a quick sketch, he was able to tell very quickly that it was him.

“That’s… that’s me.” He mumbled, barely able to take it in. 

“Oh, I hope I didn’t scare you. I didn’t mean for it to be creepy or anything. You have such pretty hair and the way the light was hitting it was just so perfect, so I had to draw it. It’s not finished yet, but-”

“It’s impressive.” Caleb smiled, still nervous. “I’m impressed.” If it was possible for the girl to smile more, she did. 

“I’m Jester, by the way. Jester Lavorre.”

“Caleb. Widogast.” he replied. “Jester. That is… an unusual name.”

“My mama wanted an unusual name for me. She had a feeling I would be an unusual child.”

“Was she right?”

“What do you think?” She smirked and raised a playful eyebrow. Caleb felt his face flush slightly as he avoided eye contact.

“I’m sure I do not know. I have only just met you.”

“Well, you probably saw me sailing the Ruby into all those geese, so you can get an idea.”

Caleb looked back up and nodded. “This is true.”

“So you were watching me!” She cheered, causing Caleb to flinch. “I knew it! So what is it? Do you like me or something?”

Caleb felt the redness fully engulf his face as he tried to backpedal. “Well, I was trying to write but it gets a little hard to concentrate with all the squawking sounds.”

She smirked.“You didn’t answer my question, but I’ll ignore that.” She got up from the bench of the table, and Caleb exhaled. “Are you going to be here next week, Caleb Widogast?” Before he could answer, she continued. “Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you’ll be here next week because you’re here every week! See you next week, Caleb!” And with that, she picked her boat out of the water and skipped back the way she came. Caleb watched her open mouthed, unable to understand the series of events that had just occurred. The way she said her name, how it sounded with her accent. Jester Lavorre. 

_ Scheisse _ , he thought again.  _ I am  _ so  _ bad at this. _


	6. Caught in a Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lying is the most fun a lesbian can have while living a fake dating au.

Beau and Reani sat at their bench, trying their best to peek through the foliage that protected them from being seen. They saw the girl with blue hair talking to Caleb and watched as he bumbled through conversation. Reani had never seen Mr. Widogast flustered before. He always seemed to have a particular way with his words. To her and the others from the bookshop, he spoke precisely. He was calculated, but never lacking in warmth. Seeing him flush and stutter like this was almost surreal. Reani could not have been happier to be there. 

Beau, however, had known him a lot longer. She had seen Caleb flustered before, and knew how he could get when he was overwhelmed or nervous. But she’d still never seen him do it like this. There was something about this girl to him. Something remarkable.

“I can’t let him fuck this up for himself,” Beau was half whispered to Reani, half to herself. “I know him. I know, right now, he’s talking himself out of ever coming back here.”

“But… why? He seemed to like her.”

“Exactly.” Both Beau and Reani peeked out from around the foliage again. Caleb looked like he was writing with newfound vigor, scribbling away at his notebook. He looked up, to catch some air. Before they could duck out of the way, they watched as Caleb scanned the park, skimming past Beau and Reani until his eyes shot back to their position. They tried to lean back and blend once again into the bushes, but it was too late. They heard footsteps approach on the cobblestone path that surrounded the pond until Caleb stopped in front of their bench. 

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, and Reani sunk low in her seat. In her head, she was flashing through the worst case scenarios.  _ He checks my phone, finds the picture. Boom. I’m fired. He finds out that we were following him. Boom. I am fired. Fired, fired fired.  _ She restrained herself from putting her face in her hands.  _ I disappointed him.  _

“What do you think I’m doing here?” Beau replied coolly. She didn’t seem to be worried at all. “Can’t I take a girl to a park in peace without a random German grump trashing my love life?” She smirked as she put her arm around Reani, sending her out of her skin. 

“You- you and Reani?” Caleb looked surprised.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Beau feigned surprise remarkably. If Reani hadn’t known she was lying, she would’ve bought it herself. “Oh, right! You work at the bookstore, don’t you? Seems like a waste, don’t you think, Caleb? Pretty girl like Ri, wasting away stacking books? I mean, come on.” 

Reani blushed. She knew Beau wasn’t being serious, but the implication that this was a date had her feeling the slightest bit dizzy. “I like my job.” she stuttered, and Beau laughed. 

“Isn’t she cute?” She brushed her chin playfully, and Reani laughed awkwardly. It sounded a little more staged than she intended, but it didn’t seem to matter.

“Well, I should let you get to it, then. I’d hate to interrupt.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Beau teased. “Who was the girl?”

Reani dug her nails into her own thighs.  _ What is she doing? _

Caleb turned a slight shade of pink. “I do not know what you are talking about.” He was a worse liar than Beau by far.

“The girl?” Beau stood up, staring Caleb down at eye level. “The one with blue hair? She was talking to you earlier. Do you know her?”

“Uh, no,” he replied, his hands going to his pockets. “We just met.”

“What’s her name?”

“Jester, she said.”

“Huh.” Beau started circling around Caleb lazily, like a vulture. “A name like that, she should be easy to find. She seem like a Facebook type to you? A girl that fashionable is definitely on Instagram.”

“Stop.” His eyes were closed like he was waiting for her to hit him. “I just met her, okay? Just some girl in a park.”

“A very  _ cute  _ girl in a park.” Beau continued, “Who happened to start a conversation with you. On purpose.”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Kinda, yeah.” Caleb tried to walk away, but Beau grabbed him by the collar of his coat. Reani silently wished for popcorn.

“Look, man. You haven’t found someone you’d even want to go get coffee with for as long as I’ve known you. I’m not asking you to do anything radical. Just… don’t decide to never come back again prematurely, okay?” Caleb’s face sunk a little, and Reani knew that Beau was right in her prediction earlier. “And I- We are gonna be back next week to make sure you still show up. If you don’t, I’m talking to her myself.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “But do not meddle. Please.”

“When have I ever?” Beau looked over to Reani and winked. She smiled reflexively back. 

“Alright” Caleb stood up straight, readjusting his coat to have something to do with his hands. “Now this has been sufficiently awkward. Goodbye, Reani. I will see you on Tuesday.”

“See ya, Mr. Widogast!” She waved goodbye as he trudged down the path and out of the park. Once they were sure he was out of earshot, the duo turned to each other.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked.” Beau ran her hands through her hair.

“Why did you say we were on a date?” Reani laughed. She was trying to sound exasperated, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

“It seemed like the most plausible explanation.” Beau replied. “He knows I used to take a lot of dates to this park. He would never suspect a thing.”

“Well, thanks for covering.” Reani giggled and looked around. All of the leaves had just begun to change. Various shades of yellows, oranges, and reds were starting to creep into the healthy green. There was a path that circled around the pond in worn brick. Weeping willows that have definitely lived a long life leaned over the pond, their branches slightly dipping into the surface of the water. It really was a lovely little park. “So I’ll see you next week?”

“Probably sooner.” Beau replied, straightening her posture. “We may want to work out a game plan.”


	7. Traditional Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Habits maketh college students.

Reani’s class schedule was pretty relaxed for a sophomore. She figured she had lucked out, given that she could finish her day by about 3:00 pm at the latest. Her earliest Monday class started at 10:00 am. However, beginning her third week of the semester, she was already starting to see how a 10:00 am class could still feel too early. She attempted to roll out of bed, overestimating the size of the tiny dorm’s twin-sized mattress. There was a solid  _ thunk  _ as she landed on the floor. She grunted as she pulled herself up.  _ Geez _ , she thought,  _ Not the smoothest of starts. _

She hadn’t slept much the previous night. She had stayed up later than usual, tossing and turning. She had been thinking about Beau, and her plan. What she had to tell Bryce and the others. It made her head swim. She had never been involved in something so complicated. Or so morally grey, to be quite frank.

She looked at her phone. 8:27 am. She still had an hour and a half, and her class was only about a ten minute walk from her dorm. She decided to text Bryce, and get that out of the way.

_ Wanna get breakfast? _

They didn’t respond right away, so Reani started putting on her usual light makeup. She was almost done before her phone flashed their response.  _ Yeah, sure. _ Gilmore’s _? _

_ “Gilmore’s” _ was the diner across the street from the west side of campus. It was her and Bryce’s go-to place to meet. The food on campus was not only gross, but also terribly unhealthy. Most days,  _ Gilmore’s _ felt like the only viable option.  _ Perfect :) i’ll see u there in 5. _

She checked her weather app. Wildemount, CT: High of 69, Low of 57. She grabbed a silky white bodysuit, an oversized tan cardigan, a pair of jeans, and her trusty brown ankle boots. They had a worn toe and a small wooden block heel, which made very satisfying clicks as they hit the pavement on the way to the diner.

Bryce was already there when she arrived and had been sitting in their favorite booth by the window. It overlooked the street outside and was ideal for the kind of college people-watching they both enjoyed. Two glasses of water were already at the table, waiting for them. Bryce was wearing a button-up shirt, looking put together as ever. Their hair was thrown into a bit of a messy bun, with many bits of blonde hanging down outside of it. Their cheekbones looked more pronounced when their hair was up, making them look almost regal.

“So...” they started, sounding somewhat anxious. “How did yesterday go?”

“I didn’t get fired, if that’s what you really wanted to ask.” Reani sat down across from Bryce and waved at their usual waiter. “It was fine, actually. We got caught, but it was fine.”

Bryce blinked incredulously. “Wait, what? How?”

“Well…” Reani drawled. “We ended up seeing the girl, right? The girl he was talking about in his book. She actually has blue hair. He wasn’t kidding. It’s awesome.”

“So you actually saw her? She was real?”

The waiter came over to take their orders. Both Bryce and Reani ordered the same thing every time: Bryce ordered a ham and tomato omelet, and Reani ordered a chocolate milkshake. Bryce used to berate her for drinking all that sugar first thing in the morning, but they gave up on that about halfway through last spring. Once the waiter left, Reani continued.

“Yeah, she’s real,” she continued. “She was very fashionable. A little femme for my taste, but still very cool. She talked to Mr. Widogast for a little bit, and he was blushing like crazy.”

“Mr. Widogast was… embarrassed?”

“No. Get this: Flustered.”

“ _ No _ .”

“ _ Yes _ .”

Bryce leaned back in their chair. “I can’t believe this. We’re talking about our Mr. Widogast, right? Mr. Soldier?” They mimicked an awkward salute.

“Yup.” Reani took a sip from the glass of water already at the table. “Stuttering all over the place. I think his accent may have even gotten stronger for a minute there.”

“Wow.” Bryce raised their eyebrows. “I kinda wish I could’ve seen it.”

“It was strange. But it was also kinda nice to see. I think he seems more like a person now.”

“As opposed to…?”

“A robot, I guess? I don’t know.”

Bryce seemed to think for a minute. “I never really saw him as a robot exactly. I think robots are kind of… emotionless, if that makes any sense. I think he’s had one consistent emotion, and that’s sad.”

“As in it’s sad that he only feels one emotion? Or that the emotion is sadness?”

“...Both?”

The waiter came over to hand them their food. He smiled at them unassumingly as he placed the strange combination of orders down in front of them. Both Bryce and Reani thanked him before he nodded and walked away.

“Wait, but you never explained how you got caught? And still got away with it, I should add.”

“He saw us once the girl had left. But Beau covered for us.” Reani looked down into her milkshake.

“Ri.” Bryce smiled. “How did she cover for you?”

“Um… She may have told him we were on a date?”

“Reani!” Bryce groaned, but they were smiling. “That’s a terrible idea! That is  _ such  _ a bad idea!”

“I know!” She squeaked, her face reddening. “But what else could we have done! I was going to get fired, Bryce. If he knew that I had followed him, or that I’d seen his book, I’d be done for.” Bryce rested their head on the table, considering killing a few more brain cells by smacking his head on its surface. “Bryce, you can’t tell him.”

“I’m not going to,” they responded, face still on the table. “But I don’t want to lie to him either. Just don’t get me involved. Please.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.” Bryce sat up straight and continued with their omelet. “What’s your class schedule, by the way?”

“I’ve got class at 10:00. I should be out by 2:15 though. Only two classes today.”

“You should get going then. It’s already 9:45.”

Reani looked at her phone. They were right. “Whose turn is it?”

“It’s mine.” Bryce gave her the passive  _ shoo  _ gesture. “Get to class. I’ve got it.”

“Cool. I’ll see you later, then?”

“Maybe. I’ve got work at 2:00.”

“I can swing by and say hi for a bit. Later!” Reani dashed out the door. Bryce sat alone, still smiling to themselves, as they finished his omelet and waited on the check.


	8. Thanks, Internet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of a college student bookshop job.

A couple of red faded armchairs sat by the front window, which displayed in gold letters “The Wandering Word Bookshop” in an Old English style font. The top of the mahogany door was rounded, and as it opened, the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg floated in the air. Mr. Widogast kept his shop quite neat, with very little decoration. It had been Reani’s idea to display some of the more popular books towards the front, and he had appreciated the practicality of it. She appreciated its aesthetic, and how it looked a little more like the pretty, big-chain bookshops she had seen in cities. She had wanted to decorate more, but Mr. Widogast refused.

“People are here for the books,” he had said. “Not for art.”

Monday afternoons were pretty busy. College students would come in to pick up rented textbooks. Little kids would stumble, hand in hand with their parents, trying to find books they wanted to listen to. It was never crowded enough to where it wasn’t cozy, but this afternoon, Bryce felt “cozy” was beginning to stretch. And not just because of his company. 

“Don’t you think we should be waiting before reorganizing the books?” Marius’ voice rang out from behind a few shelves. “I just don’t see the point in having to do this all day when we could just do it all at the end of our shifts.”

Bryce shuffled past a few people to follow the voice. Marius was on a ladder, looking down at Bryce. His blonde hair was shaved on one side, and the other was long enough to flop over one eye, but not long enough to cover the smirk on his face. The work shirt he wore was a deep shade of red, not unlike the color of the armchairs in the front. He was still facing the books he was organizing as Bryce looked up at him, arms crossed. “Well, first of all, it’s because it makes it easier for customers to find the books if they’re in the right place.”

“So? They don’t know where anything is without our help anyway! How would they know better?”

Bryce shook their head. “I think that’s a vast assumption, don’t you?”

“Honestly, no. No I don’t.” He began to descend the ladder. Bryce stayed, scowling, but still held out his hand to help Marius down. Marius shook it away, and in doing so lost his balance for a moment. He ended up grabbing the hand to restabilize himself, looking annoyed. “Thanks, I guess.” Before Bryce could say anything, a little old woman tapped Marius on the shoulder to ask for his help. Marius politely agreed, and looked back at Bryce. He raised his eyebrows as if to say “I told you so” and walked away, arm in arm with the customer. Bryce sighed to himself, resigning to climb the ladder and finish Marius’ job. 

Reani entered just as the crowd was dying down. She could see Bryce reorganizing books through the front window before she entered. Her ponytail was somewhat unruly, as if she had run her hands through it countless times and neglected to fix it. She immediately walked over to him as quickly as she could.

“I found her,” she breathed. “At least, I think I found her. But, like, how many girls could have blue hair and be named Jester, right?”

Bryce shushed her. “Keep it down, alright? Mr. Widogast is somewhere, and so is Marius.”

“Heard my name.” Marius’ head popped out from around the corner of the bookshelf Bryce had been organizing, a bored expression on his face. “What’s the drama? I heard something about a jester?”

“It’s none of your business,” Bryce managed to reply calmly. “So go away.”

“But I’m so bored!” He whined, giving the two of them puppy dog eyes. “I’ve been dying to hear something interesting! Please?”

“No.” They both replied in unison. Marius’ face dropped, but he didn’t move. The two shrugged it off and looked down to Reani’s phone. She scrolled through an Instagram profile. It was mostly pictures of beaches, but there was one recent picture of a familiar pond with a boat in it, and a picture before that of the blue-haired woman captioned “First day of school!!!!” with an excessive amount of apple emojis following it. She could have been anywhere in her 20s. She had a huge smile, light brown skin. Probably Latina, but Bryce wasn’t sure. But the most prominent aspect was definitely the blue hair. It was a bright shade of cobalt, and seemed to complement her skin tone. Her eyes were closed shut, with kind crinkles in the corners, and her smile took up half of her face.

“Oh shit.” They heard Marius’ voice from behind them. “You found Ms. Lavorre’s Instagram? Sweet.”


	9. A Customer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius knows, and everyone hates it. Also, an unexpected visitor approaches.

There was so much to unpack that Reani’s head immediately began swimming. Thankfully she didn’t need to do it herself, as Bryce was immediately on top of questioning.

“You know this woman?” They demanded.

“She’s an assistant professor. Intro to 2D Art. It’s one of the Gen Eds I’m trying to cover right now. Right now, it’s a lot of sketching and stuff like that, but-”

“I don’t care about the curriculum.” Bryce straightened up, nervously adjusting their jacket. “What do you know about her?”

Marius thought for a bit before answering. “She’s pretty much the only reason I’ve been showing up to class lately. She’s just… so nice that I feel bad when I don’t go. Like, super guilty.”

“It’s good to know you can feel guilt. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Bryce,” Reani hissed, putting her hand on their shoulder. “Jeez, chill out, will ya?” She felt Bryce’s tension slightly give as they grimaced. They mumbled an apology as Marius moved in closer. 

“If it helps, I think she said she moved to this area pretty recently. This is her first semester teaching, so she’s helping this old guy who’s about to retire anyway. I think she mentioned moving in from the coast, but that’s about all I know.”

Reani nodded and mouthed a  _ thank you _ in his direction. Marius almost began to walk away before pivoting back to his two coworkers. “By the way, why do you ask?”

Both Reani and Bryce looked at each other. Before they could speak, they heard the bell of the front door jingle, and a charming voice call out into the shop.

“Marius!” the voice said. “Oh my gosh, do you work here?” All three of them turned around to see a woman with blue hair and a wide smile walking their direction. She had a thick accent: sweet, melodic and unplaceable. “I saw you through the window and just thought, ‘Oh, wouldn’t that be so funny if it was Marius.’ And now here you are!”

“Here I am!” Marius chuckled nervously, arms folded in front of him. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Uh, yeah actually,” she began. “I need to find a couple books for my class. Apparently, if I want to teach the class, I have to follow the curriculum, which is so lame and-” 

Her voice trailed off in Reani’s mind. As Jester spoke, Reani’s head turned to the back of the bookshop. There, where Mr. Widogast usually sat and checked out people’s purchases, she could see the top of a ginger head peeking out from behind the checkout counter. Once Marius began to walk her to another part of the store to find her books, Reani slowly creeped towards it.

“Mr. Widogast?” She called out somewhat quietly. “Mr. Widogast?”

“Shh.” She heard the gruff voice from behind the counter. “Do not say a word.”

“Mr. Widogast, are you serious? You’re hiding right now?”

“No, I was just-” He started to get up as Marius and Jester passed through the main aisle of the shop. He ducked back down and winced to himself. “Perhaps. Anyway, I was wondering if you could work checkout for a moment. I need to go upstairs and… uh…” 

“Mr. Widogast.” Reani sighed. “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but you should really do your job.” She walked around the counter and put her hand on his shoulder. She smiled down at him as he continued to nervously grimace. Mr. Widogast stared at his hands as he gripped the counter’s edge. His knuckles were beginning to turn white from gripping so hard. “What if she comes again? Are you going to hide forever?” 

“I know it is not a good plan, but it is the best plan I have.”

“No, the ‘best plan you have’ is to get up, and to stop being such a weenie.” Mr. Widogast sighed deeply as he got back on his feet. He straightened his spine, brushing the wrinkles out of his shirt. 

“For future reference, I do not like to be called ‘weenie’.” His expression remained serious, but he couldn’t help but crack a bit at the use of the word. He and Reani watched as Jester was taken through the shop, a look of awe on her face. Mindlessly, she followed behind Marius, who seemed to be showing her every inch of the space. For once, Reani was grateful for his charisma. Eventually, armed with a stack of books, Jester approached the front counter. Reani heard Mr. Widogast gulp as they made eye contact for the first time since their arrival. He looked frozen as her face lit up. 

“Caayyyyyleb!” She drawled as she ran up to the counter. “You work here too?”

“I… uh…” He stuttered, and Reani saw both Bryce and Marius’ eyebrows raise. 

“Yes,” Marius interrupted, a slight smirk emerging. “This is my boss, Mr. Widogast. He owns the shop.”

“ _ Really _ ?” She gasped. “That’s so cool! You didn’t tell me you owned a super cute bookshop!”

“I… I like books.” Mr. Widogast answered. He cringed at his own words as Marius carried the conversation on.

“I think what he means to say is that he’s very humble and didn’t want to brag. Right, Mr. Widogast?”

“Ah, yes,” he replied. “That is what I meant.” His voice wobbled a bit as he spoke.

“I get that. I’m obviously very humble too.” Jester replied. “Well, I probably will come in here again. So I’ll see you soon, ya?” Caleb nodded as he checked out her books, bagged them, and sent her on her way wordlessly. As soon as the door shut after her, Caleb let himself collapse, face first into the counter.

“I have to flee the country.”


	10. Pep Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeza has good relationship advice. Who knew?

“You don’t have to flee the country, Caleb. That’s ridiculous.”

Caleb was pacing around his best friend’s living room. Caleb didn’t usually visit Nott on Monday nights, but he had framed this as an emergency. Though she didn’t understand what happened, she would always drop everything to help Caleb. Nott always did what she could to help her oldest friend. Before he arrived, she put her son to bed early, and cleared the floor for his pacing space. At this moment, she was glad she had done that.

“What is the alternative?” He clamored, hardly looking past his gesticulating hands. “See this woman again? See my  _ employees  _ again? I do not think they will be able to look at me the same way again.”

“What does that matter? They’re employees. And even worse, they’re college kids. You’re saying  _ now’s  _ the time to worry about what they think of you?”

“I always worry about what people will think of me. You know this.”

“Yeah, but they’re college kids. They’ve definitely seen worse.”

Caleb groaned loudly, immediately followed by a whispered apology. He knew her son was trying to sleep, and the last thing he wanted to do was to make her regret his presence. “They literally saw me hiding behind a counter. So did she. How on earth do you suggest I recover from that?”

“Well, how bad was it?”

Caleb looked at her sternly. “One of my staff had to pull me up by the arm.” Nott did everything to hold back her laughter, but she could never hide it on her face. “Nott, this isn’t funny.”

“Yes,” she replied. “It actually really is.”

They heard a knock from the kitchen door. “Is it okay if I come in?” Nott looked to Caleb and he nodded. 

“Yeah, sure! Come in!” Nott called. Her husband, a man with kind eyes and curly hair, walked in. He carried two cups of tea, and set them on the small table beside the couch his wife sat on. 

“I thought you both might like some tea. It’s got lavender in it to soothe tension.”

“Thank you, Yeza.” Nott smiled at him. He smiled back as he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. Caleb couldn’t help but smile at the sweet gesture. 

“If you need me, I’ll be in the next room.” He started to walk back to the kitchen.

“Actually,” Caleb said, “I may need your perspective on this issue as well. Would you mind joining us?”

Yeza’s head perked up. “Yes, of course! I’d be happy to help. Let me go grab my tea.” He darted back into the kitchen. Nott gave Caleb a thumbs up. After a moment, Yeza returned, quickly sitting next to his wife on the couch. “Okay, what’s the situation? I think I heard it was an emergency?”

“Yeah, he hid from a girl he has a crush on behind the check-out counter at work.”

“It is a little more complicated than that.”

“It’s not.” Nott replied quickly, and Caleb put his face in his hands. Nott shrugged, but didn’t seem particularly apologetic. “He’s trying to figure out what to do next.”

“Well, you’re going to ask her out, right?” Yeza looked up at Caleb. 

“No!” He replied vehemently. “Why would I ask her out now, after thoroughly embarrassing myself in front of all the people I work with on a daily basis?”

“Because it’s all about perspective.” Yeza stated, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “To you, sure. It’s super embarrassing.” 

Caleb held back a wince. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry too much about it. It could happen to anyone, really. I nearly threw up when I first asked Veth out.” He bumped his shoulder against hers playfully. He obviously referred to Veth by her given name, but Caleb could never break out of calling her by the nickname she used to go by. “So yes, to you, this was uncomfortable. However, to her, it could be considered very flattering.”

Both Nott and Caleb looked at him, brows furrowed. “Huh?”

“Look at it like this. From her perspective, you were clearly hiding from her. You can’t go back from that. But you can play it off in a way where she’ll take it as a compliment. Just tell her the truth. You were intimidated by her. She made you nervous.”

“I can just… say that? To her?” Caleb still seemed lost.

“Yes. You can, and you should.” Yeza stood up and put a hand on Caleb’s arm. Caleb was at least a head taller than Yeza when standing, but the gesture was still comforting. “Think about this. Right now, she could have come to two conclusions. One: you like her, and that’s why you hid. Or two: you don’t like her, and  _ that’s  _ why you hid. If you don’t say anything to her the next time you see her, she’ll definitely think it’s the latter.”

Caleb bit the inside of his cheek. “You’re right. I have to talk to her.”

“What are you gonna say?” Nott asked excitedly.

“I… have no clue.” Caleb let his head fall. 

Yeza thought for a second. “Start with thanking her for stopping at the bookshop first. Start the conversation cordially, but not stiffly. If she asks questions, answer them. Let her know how interesting you are.”

“But I’m not interesting.” Caleb replied.

“If you’re not interesting, then you’re not the Caleb I know.” Yeza winked. “But yes, make sure to answer her questions. And when the hiding thing inevitably comes up, tell the truth. Say this. ‘Yes, I’m sorry about that. To tell you the truth, I was nervous.’ Or ‘you are very intimidating.’ And she’ll probably ask why or how, right? So you’ll say ‘Because you’re beautiful.’ Or something like that.”

“I’m no authority, but that would work on me.” Nott piped up, smiling at her husband. 

“Saying it straightforward like that will get you a clear response. If she doesn’t expect it, which she won’t, you’ll be able to tell if she’s interested. She won’t have time to hide it.”

“That’s… actually quite brilliant.” Caleb cocked his head, amused by the mental image. He let a smile creep onto his face. The idea of talking to her, and making  _ her  _ nervous, made his heart beat in his ears.

“But then you have to ask her out if she likes you, Caleb. No chickening out at the last minute, okay?” Nott stands up, an eyebrow cocked, looking Caleb in the eyes. “If you don’t, I’m going to tell Beau.”

“Okay, fine. I got the message.”


	11. Teamwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It makes the dream work, if you can get it.

The library was practically abandoned when they met. It was 9:00pm, and the library closed at 10:00. Reani figured it was a good place to meet, since it was early enough in the semester where no one was cramming for midterms or finishing a paper that night. There were a couple students scattered, but no one paid them any mind as she took a meeting room. Each meeting room smelled like lemon-scented disinfectant wipes. They always had one table, four chairs, a whiteboard mounted on the wall, and one usually dead marker. Thankfully, Reani had plenty of colored expo markers in her bag at all times. She got there before the rest of the group, and set up the board as Beau suggested.  _ three columns,  _ she said.  _ what we know, what we don’t know, what we can actually do.  _

Reani did as she was told.

Reani made a group chat that afternoon with the four of them, to make sure they could all contact each other. After the afternoon’s turn of events, she felt that everyone had to be on the same page for them to do something. Bryce, Marius, and Reani updated Beau on what happened in the shop that day, and it was Beau who suggested meeting in person.  _ we’ve got to do this right. we owe it to caleb.  _ Everyone agreed.

Bryce was the first to get there after Reani. She was just finishing the columns when they walked in. 

“Hey.” Bryce said as they sat down in a chair. 

“Hey.” Reani responded. “Can I talk to you about something? Before the rest of the group gets here?”

They hesitated. “Yes, sure. What’s up?”

“It’s about Marius.” Bryce leaned back in their chair and groaned. “I’m serious. You’ve got to stop picking fights with him. At least for now.”

“It’s not my fault that he’s intolerable.”

“He’s not even that bad!” Reani defended. “Sure, he gets a little extra sometimes, and he probably parties too much-”

“You don’t know him like I do, Ri.” Bryce spoke shortly. Reani tried to read his expression, but it was difficult with them. They seemed mostly mad. But there was something else she couldn’t quite get. Now didn’t seem like the time to pry. There were more important things. 

“I don’t need you to like him. I hardly need you two to get along. But just cooperate. Just until this is done. Please?” Reani gave them her best puppy dog eyes. She was good at puppy dog eyes.

They sighed, after a moment of contemplation. “Sure. Fine. But if he starts anything, I’m finishing it.”

“If that’s the best you can promise, sure.”

Bryce groaned, and muttered something along the lines of “I can’t believe you dragged me into this.”

Beau and Marius showed up not long after, and everyone sat. Marius seated himself across from Bryce. Bryce pretended not to notice Marius’ eyes fixed on them as he looked towards Beau and Reani. As soon as everyone was there, Beau walked to the front of the room.

“Okay, let’s get to business. We need to understand what we’re trying to do here.” Beau took a deep breath. “I know Caleb very well. We’ve been friends for years now. You obviously all know him only as Mr. Widogast. Which is fine, but something tells me he may try to seem a little more… let’s say put together, for your sakes. I want to say right now that we’re not trying to set him up in any obvious sort of way. He should be able to do the heavy lifting himself. He kinda has to. But we’ve gotta make sure he gets there before overthinking too much. So, let’s start with what we know.” She began to write on the board as she spoke. “Caleb, your boss, likes Jester. Who is Jester?”

“Jester Lavorre,” Marius spoke up. “She’s an assistant professor at the university. Brand new apprentice, helps out in Intro to 2D Art with Professor Orly, an old guy who’s about to retire. I think he already knew her and recommended her for the job.” 

“Most of that is good to know.” Beau wrote down JESTER LAVORRE, with some notes underneath. 

  * _New art teacher_


  * Probably pretty young


  * Moved to the area recently


  * Knew Prof. Orly?



“Do we know where Orly is from? If she knew the professor before coming here, they’re probably from the same area.”

“Somewhere on the Menagerie Coast. That’s all I know.” 

“All right, that’s something.” She rewrote the last point. 

  * _Knew Prof. Orly from Menagerie Coast_



“Okay, do we know she’s straight?”

Marius thought for a bit. “No, actually. I’m not sure at all. She’s never mentioned a significant other. Male, female, or otherwise.” Beau went back to the board. 

  * _Single_


  * Straight? Straight enough?



“All right. Now to put up what we know of Caleb.” She wrote another section, titled CALEB WIDOGAST, and wrote a couple of points up. 

  * _Works too much at the bookshop_


  * Doesn’t have a life outside of books and Frumpkin


  * Good looking?



“You can erase the question mark.” Reani mumbled just loud enough for Beau to hear. Beau looked over to her, raised an eyebrow, and maintained eye contact as she erased the question mark. 

“Good to know,” she said. “Is there anything I missed?”

“He’s kind of a wuss.” Marius stated. “He literally hid behind a desk and pretended he wasn’t there when he saw her.”

“I don’t think he’s a wuss.” Bryce protested, arms crossed. “I think he was nervous.”

“Plenty of people get nervous. ‘Nervous’ people don’t hide behind desks. He’s a wuss.”

“He’s your boss.” Bryce raised their voice unknowingly. “He’s earned more respect than that.”

“If he wasn’t a wuss, he would’ve fired me already, no?”

Before Bryce could leap over the table, Beau hit the table with enough force to let the sound echo in the small room. “Could you shut up? There are more important things to deal with than your unresolved sexual tension.” Bryce looked like they were going to pick a fight with her too before Reani held their arm. Bryce shunted her grip, but sat back in their chair, glaring at Beau. Beau continued to write on the board. 

  * _Nervous around pretty people_



Bryce sighed. “Yeah, that’s fair. Fine.” Beau nodded to herself. Marius smirked as he propped his feet up on the desk and crossed his legs. He leaned back in his chair, bending it dangerously. 

“I should also note another important factor in all of this.” Beau began to write on the board again, back facing the rest of the group. When she turned around, they were able to see the newest point under Caleb’s name.

  * _Hasn’t had a date in 5+ years_



“Oh boy.” Reani breathed. She was beginning to understand the scope of the dilemma. 

“It’s not to say that Caleb doesn’t have any game. I’m sure he does… somewhere. But he hasn’t had any reason to use it in a very long time. Now, the most important part of this plan isn’t to get her to fall in love with him or anything crazy. We’re not trying to force him to do anything. We’re just setting up an opportunity, and doing our best to make sure he takes it.” Beau looked around the room, seeing her new accomplices nodding at her. In her head, she couldn’t help but wish her group partners for school projects were this together. She shook the thought and turned to directly face Marius.

“Okay, so here’s what  _ you _ need to do.”


	12. Tuesday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius makes use of his art degree.

Marius woke up without a hangover for the first time in almost a week, but his head still felt like it was pounding. He was up late last night, trying and failing to fix his sleep schedule. He had practically become nocturnal every weekend, and suffered the consequences every other day of the week now as well. His brow furrowed as he went to check his phone. 9:03. Way too early to have a class so soon, especially as a required general education course. He was undecided in his major, so he had been killing time taking the bullshit required courses the school had recommended him. At this point, he had resolved himself, saying he was going to declare as a business major in the Spring. But he would be lying if he said he hadn’t considered taking on an art minor now. 

He looked over to the other bed in the room. His roommate didn’t have any early classes, and was buried in his sheets and quilts at the moment. The only sign of life was the occasional deep breath and the related shift of the blankets. Careful to not make any sound, Marius slipped out of his bed and proceeded to get dressed. He put on a grey hoodie, a dark bomber jacket, and a pair of very worn black skinny jeans. He cautiously slid on his black Chelsea boots as he was walking out the door, almost forgetting his backpack again. His dorm key was in that, and the last thing Marius wanted to do was ask his roommate to let him in and wake him up prematurely. He would never tell anyone, but Vandren scared him a bit. Just a bit.

Vandren used to be his best friend last year. They both lived on the same floor, and befriended each other due to a sort of necessity. Marius didn’t have a whole lot of friends, but he had the coveted single dorm room on the floor. Vandren was a well-liked guy, but his roommate drove him crazy sometimes. Vandren started college late, so he was a bit older than a lot of guys in their year, his roommate included. But he was charismatic, with a very charming southern drawl. Everyone knows freshman try to be their roommate’s best friend before they make any of their own. Vandren was always nice to his roommate, but he felt the age difference rather intensely. Some nights, he needed to get away. And there was Marius, with a single to himself and an admittedly big crush on the older gentleman. It had worked perfectly then. 

Marius walked to his 2D art class. He went over the plan again and again in his head. He pretended to be charismatic, like Vandren. He knew he got a little cocky sometimes, especially around Bryce. The goody two-shoes. But in all honesty, his confidence was faked. Beau seemed to think he could do this. But with every step he took towards his destination, he got less sure. 

The arts building only took 4 minutes to get to from his dorm. Not a bad walk, all things considered. Due to his nerves, he walked into the almost empty classroom fifteen minutes early. Professor Orly and Jester sat at one of the large, round student tables, and looked up as he walked in. The professor was nursing a still steaming cup of black coffee in a paper cup, while Jester sat with her tea in a ceramic mug that looked handmade. Her cup was a deep green color, with gold letters saying “The Traveller is With You”. 

“Mr. Marius,” Professor Orly started. “You are aware that class doesn’t begin until 9:30, correct?”

“Y-Yes.” Marius stuttered. “I know. I just wanted to get here a little early today.”

Professor Orly grinned. “As you wish.” The sleeves of his button up shirt were rolled up, and for the first time, Marius saw his professor’s full sleeve of tattoos. He couldn’t help but be impressed. The man couldn’t be any younger than 65. He was completely bald, and his wrinkles took the forefront of his face. When he smiled, rivers could flow in his laugh lines. However, his arms were completely covered in the most diverse collection of art he’d ever seen on one person. 

“I did these myself,” the professor said, interrupting his train of thought.

Marius’ eyebrows shot up. “All of them?” The old man nodded, and looked over to Jester. She beamed at him, and pulled at the hem of her tee shirt to reveal a tattoo as well. It was an intricate shoulder piece, very delicate-looking. It was all done with white ink, which contrasted beautifully with her skin tone. 

“It’s how I met him, actually.” Jester smiled at Marius, and then at Orly. “He would come to Nicodranas in the summer and tattoo people by the boardwalk. I saved up for  _ months  _ so I could get him to tattoo me.”

“Who would have thought it would get you a job?” He chuckled, standing up. “Welp, I’d better get started setting up for the class. Jester, could you entertain Mr. Marius while I go to my office for supplies?”

“Of course, Orly!” She replied, chipper as ever. It was jarring seeing someone so awake this early. Even still, the professor smiled at her as he lumbered out of the classroom. Marius sat down at his table and Jester immediately took the seat next to him, tea still in hand. “He’s pretty cool, right?” She leaned towards Marius eagerly.

“Yeah, actually. He is really cool.” Marius took a deep breath. “So, you’re from Nicodranas, huh?”

Jester’s smile never faltered, but he could swear something changed in her eyes. “Yeah, I grew up there. My mama still lives there, so I can still visit when I have time, but… yeah. I basically lived my whole life there up until about a month ago.”

Marius smiled kindly. “I’ve heard it’s really beautiful there.” 

“Yeah, it is.”

Marius was able to identify homesickness when he saw it. Jester stirred her tea absentmindedly, but he was sure that it must be cold by now. 

“You know who’s been here for a while?” Marius smirked at Jester as she looked up to meet his gaze. “Mr. Widogast.” He bumped her gently with his elbow as she looked back down into her tea, hiding the start of a smile. 

“He’s been here for at least five years now. That’s how long he’s had the bookshop.” 

“It’s a very nice bookshop.” Jester sighed a bit. “Though it could use more decoration. Some art, some twinkley lights. Something.”

“We’ve been saying that forever. Maybe if you asked, he’d listen.” Marius gave Jester a wink and she blushed momentarily. 

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Marius started to lean back comfortably in his chair. “I also think he’d be willing to show you around town if you asked him nicely.”

She thought about it for a moment. “That could be nice. I really don’t know a lot about the area.”

“There are worse things than taking an afternoon being shown around by a handsome guy like Mr. Widogast.” Jester’s blush deepened as she stood to get to the nearest sink. 

“I mean...” she scrunched her nose as she dumped the last of her cold tea down the drain. “He  _ is  _ pretty handsome. And he’s got a very nice chin.”

“Yes, he does.” Marius smiled thinking about it. “You should come in on Thursday. Say hi. I’ll be there.”

Jester thought about it for a minute. “Okay, I can stop by. I’m usually pretty free Thursdays anyway.”

Marius did his best to contain his excitement. “Great!”

They just grinned to themselves for a bit, Jester cleaning her mug as best as she could. “Also,” she asked, “Just have to check. You’re gay, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“Okay, good. That’s what I thought. Just making sure you’re not in love with me.” Jester winked, and finished rinsing out her cup as the rest of the class started to trickle in. She greeted each of them by name as they came and sat, and eventually Professor Orly returned to start the class. They were practicing profiles that day, and Jester looked over his shoulder to watch Marius sketch out a very familiar chin and a memorably busted nose. Jester grinned and kept moving, but Marius knew he had won. Stage one was complete.


	13. Agree to Disagree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shifts with people you hate make Wednesdays so much slower.

During the slow hours in the bookshop, Bryce liked to take out random books from the shelves and read the blurbs. They would look for the stories with the strangest titles they could find. They used to read more before college, back when they had free time. Now, all Bryce really felt they had time to read were their political science readings from textbooks. They liked their major, but any kind of textbook reading is bound to be dull. The books Mr. Widogast stocked were never dull. He did get textbooks, and that’s where the majority of the clientele came from. He didn’t try to rip students off like the campus bookstore did. And since he knew most students would try to buy the books through him, he was able to discount them well enough where they would keep coming back. It was a good business model, but The Wandering Word also had any other kind of book anyone could want. The fantasy section was Mr. Widogast’s favorite. Reani always drifted towards the smut books, though she’d never admit it. Bryce liked the nonfiction section. 

Wednesdays were particularly slow, and Bryce’s least favorite shift. Very few customers came in, and they were only on shift with Marius. It was also Mr. Widogast’s day to take inventory, which he prefers to do himself. It was just them and Marius alone in the shop, reshelving books, and listening to Mr. Widogast talking to himself as he writes in his ledger. Bryce had pulled maybe 16 books from their shelves, read their blurbs, and made a mental note to read them before Marius had shown up for his shift.

“I’m a GOD!” Marius announced, plowing through the door ten minutes late. He had two cups from the coffee shop in town in his hands. He handed one carefully to Bryce, who took it cautiously.

“Don’t worry, it’s hot chocolate.” Marius kept walking to the counter at the back of the shop. “You’re not into caffeine. I remembered.”

“I’m not going to lie; I’m surprised you did.” Bryce’s brow furrowed. “What’s this for?”

“Do I have to have an excuse to be nice?” Marius smirked at them, then let his face drop when Bryce remained steadfast. “Okay, fine. I’m celebrating because I talked Jester into coming on Thursday. Is that enough of a reason?” 

Bryce’s stern expression remained as an eyebrow raised.

Marius sighed dramatically. “Fine. And I wanted to apologize.” Now Bryce broke, as a surprised look crossed his face. Marius continued. “I don’t exactly know what I did to piss you off. Maybe it was just... me. I couldn’t blame you. But I wanted to offer an olive branch, if you will, in the form of a very nice hot chocolate that’s definitely gonna get cold if you don’t drink it soon.” Bryce blinked and took a sip. It was very nice hot chocolate.

“Truce?” Marius held out his hand. “At least for now?”

“You really don’t remember?” Bryce mumbled.

“Remember what?” Marius looked genuinely confused as Bryce looked into his eyes. They shrugged.

“Nevermind. Truce.” They shook his hand with a professional vigor, not breaking eye contact. They broke away, walking towards Mr. Widogast’s muttering. “I’m going to go tell him she’ll be here tomorrow, then?” Marius nodded, and Bryce continued to drink the truce hot chocolate. They hated to admit it, but damn. It was very nice hot chocolate. 

Bryce found Mr. Widogast in the children’s section, staring into his ledger. A small pile of empty boxes stood in the corner, previously containing new orders of books. As usual, he was muttering under his breath in German, concentrating so intensely that he didn’t notice Bryce approach. He nearly jumped out of his skin when they addressed him.

“Please be careful about sneaking up on me like that,” he breathed.

“I didn’t sneak up on you, sir.” Bryce stated. 

“Oh.” Mr. Widogast turned a little pink in his cheeks. “Sorry, Bryce.”

“It’s okay, sir.” 

Mr. Widogast struggled for a moment to remember what he had been doing before turning back to his employee. “What are you doing back here, by the way? Do you have a question?”

“Uh, no.” Bryce stumbled momentarily. “I actually came back to tell you about that blue haired girl. She talked to Bryce about coming in on Thursday?”

The pink evolved to a deep red color, almost matching his hair. Bryce had never truly seen Mr. Widogast flustered. He had always maintained the utmost level of professionalism, to a fault sometimes. To see him get so nervous over a girl was difficult for Bryce to process, even while watching their boss turn the color of a tomato. Mr. Widogast gripped his ledger tightly and Bryce saw it crinkle in his hands. 

“You’re- You’re sure?” He got out, and Bryce couldn’t help but smile a bit. 

“Yup!” Marius popped out from behind a bookshelf, startling both of them. Bryce was lucky they didn’t spill any of their hot chocolate. Mr. Widogast was less lucky, as they watched their boss lose his footing, and wipe out into the pile of boxes. The employees stood there incredulously, waiting as their boss looked up to them in astonishment. And as they were staring at each other, not sure what to do, the strangest thing happened. Mr. Widogast started chuckling. A low, raspy chuckle that grew. The chuckling evolved quickly into a full-blown laugh, something none of his employees had ever seen him do. Before they even noticed, both Bryce and Marius began to laugh with him. They all looked to each other, cackling together in the back of the small, empty bookshop. Mr. Widogast sank deeper into the pile of boxes, only making the situation altogether more hilarious to the group. They laughed for what felt like forever. Once their laughing fits died down, and the tears were wiped away, Marius and Bryce began to help Mr. Widogast out of the boxes. He finally caught his breath, smiling at the two of them. 

“Well, we better get this place ready before she gets here. I’m afraid I’m not one for fancy decor, but I would be willing to put in the work. Someone should inform Reani as soon as possible. I fear she may explode from excitement, so be wary.”

“Jester did mention we could use a bit more decoration. I think she said twinkly lights?”

Mr. Widogast smiled to himself. “Of course. We can make that happen.”


	14. Heart to Heart to Coworker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reani goes a little ham with decorations, while bonding on shift gets strangely easy.

“I’m so excited, I could just die right here!” Reani squealed for the millionth time. Bryce had told her last night that she would be spending most of her morning shift sprucing up The Wandering Word, and her enthusiasm hadn’t died down since. Bryce didn’t even know how many emojis one person could use in a text, and wasn’t aware that most of them existed. As much as they loved Reani, they were somewhat relieved to realize they wouldn’t be on shift with her as she sped through the shop, adding as many pretty electric candles, twinkly lights, and fall decorations as she could. Marius and Dairon, however, got to see firsthand her manic decorating spree, as they continued to do their job as per usual. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen her this wired since she bought all that candy the day after Valentine’s Day last year.” Marius laughed as he reshelved books. 

“You are clearly forgetting the day after Easter then,” they replied, the smallest of smiles on their face. 

“Look! I like chocolate, okay? Sue me!” Reani yelled to them as she whizzed by, carrying another line of string lights. Marius looked at her in admiration. It was like those videos online, where you watch a spider weave its web, but at ten times the normal speed. She was a force of nature with sparkles. 

“I just hope she does not scare off the customers.” Dairon shook their head. 

“No way. She’s just too charming for that.” Marius finished up the shelf and walked over to watch Dairon work. They were a little slower than him in the process, but he could tell they took great care in doing a good job. It was like they were getting to know the book the whole time they were shelving it. 

“So what do you think about this whole situation, Dairon?”

“I think that I have no interest in getting involved, and I will continue to not be involved.” They spoke their truth plainly, and Marius slumped a bit against a shelf. “However, it is nice to see Mr. Widogast find a little joy again. This bookshop has been all he’s had for so long. He deserves to find more happiness.”

Marius let the silence sit for a moment. “Have you ever been in love, Dairon?”

“I cannot say that I have.” they said, not breaking their concentration. “I find I am at my best when alone, and that is fine with me.”

“I’m sure that’d be a huge relief for Reani,” Marius said, casually thumbing through a random book. “I think she’s always been worried that you and Beau had secretly been a thing. At least, that’s what I’ve picked up on. And I’m usually pretty good with this stuff.”

“It only takes having eyes to notice that, Marius.” Dairon rolled their eyes. They looked towards Reani, carefully setting up a new book display on one of the tables. “I worry she will get herself hurt.”

“Aren’t we all?” Marius drawled. “But can you blame her? If I was a girl, I’d probably be into her too. She looks like she could punch me through a wall.”

“She could, and she would, given the proper opportunity.” Marius had a hard time reading Dairon, but he almost sensed some pride in her statement. “But she’s troubled, and I worry she won’t think of how Reani could feel if she lets her down.”

“Maybe she won’t.” Marius returned the book he had been holding to its spot, and walked to his next section to reshelve, narrowly missing the lightning fast sparkle-crazed fairy that was Reani.

Dairon nodded to themselves, deep in thought. “Maybe she won’t.”

\---

After about 20 more minutes of frantic decoration, Reani was finished. She sighed, sinking into the red velvet chair by the front of the shop as she admired her work. She had managed to outdo herself, and she knew it. The shop looked magical.

“Mr. Widogast’s gonna love this,” Marius said, leaning into the wall adjacent to Reani’s chair. “Do you want some coffee? I was about to make a run.”

“Tea would be awesome, actually. I totally just crashed.” Reani slumped deeper into the chair. “That took a lot out of me.”

“I can imagine.” Marius chuckled. “It looks great, though.” She looked up at him, noticing his expression. Marius was generally a pretty confident, cocky sort of guy, but something about him seemed different today. 

“What’s up with you? You seem… happier somehow.”

“I am a bit happier, I guess.” Marius slid down the wall and sat on the floor, facing Reani. “I… I don’t know.”

“Tell me!” Reani perked up, a little bit of life coming back to her. “Please?” She used her puppy dog eyes on him, and watched him cave.

“Alright, but don’t tell anyone, okay?” Reani nodded and Marius continued. “It just feels really nice to be doing something for someone else. For once. I don’t really get to do that often. A little out of character for me, you know?”

“It does feel good.” Reani looked to the back counter, where her boss seemed to be staring off into space. A dreamy smile had been resting on his face all morning. “It’s nice to see Mr. Widogast happy for once.”

“Agreed.” Marius shrugged. “Though I’d be lying if I didn’t say there are selfish reasons for me to be doing this.”

Reani fully sat up. “Oh?” Marius blushed as he looked back at Reani.

“I’m kind of…” He cleared his throat. “I’m kind of really glad that me and Bryce made up. I don’t exactly know what I did to piss them off in the first place, but we have a sort of truce going right now. And it’s… nice, I guess.”

“Oh. My. God.” Reani’s face brightened immediately. “You have a thing for Bryce!”

“No I don’t.” Marius’ face flushed deeper. “I’m just glad we’re not feuding for no reason. That’s all.”

“You’re lying.” Reani grinned from ear to ear. “You totally like them.”

“Come to whatever conclusions you want, Reani.” He stood up and started heading towards the door hurriedly. “I’m gonna go get the tea and shit. Text me what you want. I don’t know what you like.” The bell of the door rang on the way out as Reani sat and kept smiling. 

“But I know what  _ you  _ like.” She chuckled to herself as she stood from the chair. She observed her handiwork for a moment, taking it all in. After a few minutes, she took a breath, and got back to her regular responsibilities.


	15. Shifty and Shiftier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some confessions hurt, and some people leave holes behind in your life. And sometimes, it's for the best.

Once Marius had returned with the drinks, he clocked out and ventured back to his dorm. Not out of embarrassment, of course. He didn’t like Bryce like that. It would be ridiculous. Bryce still hated him, after all. Their truce was only founded in hot chocolate. Marius was sure that once the situation with their boss was over with, Bryce would go right back to hating him. And that’ll be fine. Right?

As he continued on his walk back, he replayed his talk with Bryce from yesterday. He had done so several times since the conversation had occurred.  _ “You don’t remember, do you?”  _ The phrase had been echoing in his head. What could he have possibly forgotten to make Bryce hate him that much? Had he said something when he was drunk? They used to be friendly last year, when he was a freshman and Bryce was a sophomore. Back when Marius had started going to a lot of parties because of Vandren. Something had changed around then. He always chalked it up to Bryce’s uppity attitude towards his lifestyle. Marius knew he drank too much and too often, especially for his scrawny stature.  _ But they said I don’t remember... something. Something important. What could it be? _

He let it consume his thoughts until he got to his dorm. Before he was able to put his key in the lock, he heard something. Movement behind the door. Vandren was never here when Marius came back after work. He almost wanted to turn around. To go back to work and not worry about whatever’s going on. After waiting a minute, he realized that was ridiculous. It’s just Vandren, and it’s his room too, after all. 

Marius opened the door and Vandren turned to him in surprise. Vandren’s half of the room, usually dirty with clothes from the week strewn about the floor, was clean. His bed was stripped of their sheets, and all of his posters were taken off the walls. Vandren’s sea green eyes, the ones Marius used to dream too much about, were bloodshot, and contrasted the deep purple bags under his eyes. Marius looked into his friend’s face, until his eyes were drawn to the one large suitcase on top of Vandren’s now naked mattress.

“You’re leaving.”

The words hung in the air. Neither one of them dared breathe, or move from their spots. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” Even now, Vandren’s southern drawl was soothing to hear, though it sounded more choked up than usual.

“But… why?” Marius tried to keep it together, but his voice was still on the verge of breaking. Vandren was leaving. Vandren was leaving, and he was trying to leave while he was at work. He wasn’t going to say goodbye.

Vandren let his head fall. “I’ve been thinking a lot the past few weeks. I’ve seen what I’ve become, what I’ve been doing. All the time I’ve wasted.” He picked his head up, still avoiding meeting Marius’ gaze. “I’m ashamed of what I’ve become. I want… I need to start over.” He went back to his suitcase and threw in the last of his clothing before zipping it up.

“And you can’t do that here?” Marius’ voice cracked. He tried to ignore it ineffectively. 

“No. I can’t.” Vandren straightened his back, dignified. “It’s too late for me. I’ve gotten into some shit I shouldn’t have. The last thing I want to do is drag anyone down with me.” Marius almost protested, then shut his mouth. Vandren looked back to him, finally making eye contact. 

“I’m sorry. For everything.” He looked back down to his suitcase as he lifted it off the bed and put it on the floor. The loud  _ thud  _ made Marius jump. “I- I know I was an asshole. I treated you like shit. Dragged you out to parties and disappeared on you. Yelled when I got too drunk. I never let you know where I was. I was a shitty friend.”

Marius broke eye contact to stare at his own shoes. “I always figured it was because you were going through a rough time.”

“Everyone goes through rough times,” Vandren countered. “It’s still not an excuse to be an asshole.” With both hands, Vandren picked up his suitcase and dragged it to the door, passing a dumbfounded Marius along the way. Marius moved to let him through, but Vandren put the suitcase down and put a hand on his shoulder before he could move too far away. 

“This is stupid advice, but I’ll regret it if I don’t say it: Be smarter than me. Go back to that coworker or whatever from the party last spring. They seemed to really like you.”

Marius’ face scrunched in confusion. His sadness broke as he tried to process what was said. “Wait, huh?”

Vandren grimaced. “Your friend? You know, the blonde one? From your job?”

Marius’ sadness dropped, confusion and curiosity getting the better of him. “Vandren,” he said sternly. “What the hell are you talking about?”


	16. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reani's hard work pays off in many ways.

Bryce caught their breath walking into The Wandering Word. Reani had outdone herself on the new decorations, and they secretly hoped Mr. Widogast would let them keep them after everything was done. Warm yellow string lights shaped like stars lined the reading armchairs and book displays. Little paper leaves, in different shades of red, yellow, and orange, were hung from the ceiling like they were falling. Various sized electric candles, meant to look realistic with dripping wax and flickering light, sat on the bookshelves. They understood why Mr. Widogast, even now, would not be for actual open flame near his books. But the faux candles still had a lovely effect, and lit up the room in a way Bryce could never have imagined. It looked magical.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Reani bounced up to her friend, eyes practically glowing. The tea she had gotten from Marius was still warm, and was keeping her up.

“I think  _ anyone  _ would like this.” Bryce smiled at her. “It looks amazing, Ri.”

“I know, right?” She looked around to see no other customers were in right now. Everyone but Dairon was anticipating Jester’s arrival, which was bound to be the only interesting thing to happen that day. “By the way, Mr. Widogast is starting to get a little nervous. He hasn’t said anything, but…” They both turned to their boss, who was still located behind the checkout desk. He was picking at the hem of his coat, where it was already worn down due to his nervous tick. 

“Right.” They coughed. “I’ll talk to him if I need to.” Bryce shoved their hands in their pockets. “I’m probably not qualified for giving romance advice, though.”

“Honestly, I don’t think any of us are.” She looked to Dairon, who was minutes away from clocking out for the day. She was sitting in an armchair, flicking through a nonfiction book on the history of Genghis Khan. 

Bryce laughed. “Fair enough.” They made their way to the back of the shop, saying hi to Mr. Widogast on the way. Reani followed them, not having anything better to do. 

“So I heard you made up with Marius, huh?” Reani prodded. She was trying to maintain a poker face, but she was always notoriously bad at that. A smile peaked through as Bryce looked back at her.

“A temporary truce. Nothing more.” Their face was serious and calm, some of the joy from the decor fleeting. If she didn’t know them, she would say they almost looked pained. 

Mr. Widogast snapped out of his trance for a moment. “A truce? I did not even know you two were fighting.”

Reani burst into laughter. “They’ve been fighting for forever! How did you not notice?” Bryce walked away, grabbing the broom that they kept behind the checkout desk. Mr. Widogast looked concerned after them, but didn’t say anything as they walked towards the front of the shop and started sweeping. 

“They used to be so close.” He sounded genuinely sad. Reani stopped laughing. “Bryce was the one to talk to me about getting Marius his job here in the first place.”

“They what?” Reani had never heard this before. She and Bryce had only gotten close the past spring, though they had been acquaintances all of last year. It was hard for her to remember a time when Bryce hadn’t hated Marius. But, now that she thought of it, she couldn't distinctly remember when it started. Before she could even think, she walked over to Bryce. They were sweeping the front of the shop fervently, staring at the floor. 

“Hey.” Reani put a hand on their shoulder. They looked back up to her for a second, still sweeping.

“Hey.” Bryce said passively, still concentrating on their task.

“Hey.” Reani said with more intent. Bryce stopped sweeping, but didn’t look back up. “We should talk.” Bryce sighed, turning their head to look at the ceiling. 

“Okay.” They sighed and sat in the red armchair by the front window, careful to not sit on the recently added lights that lined it. Reani sat on the hardwood floor, taking a mental note to ask Mr. Widogast to add a new chair up by the front. She sat cross-legged facing Bryce, but gave them some space.

“You never told me what happened between you and Marius.”

“Because it was embarrassing.” Bryce took their blonde hair out of a messy bun and ran his fingers through it. It was getting pretty long, just hitting his shoulders. “I- I used to really like him.”

Reani put her hands over her mouth to keep from gasping. “No way.”

“Yeah.” Bryce sighed again. “Last year. He lived on my floor in the dorms last year. He was the first person who was nice to me.” Bryce’s face scrunched. “You know how everyone has that first group of friends freshman year that never sticks?”

“Yeah, of course.” Reani nodded.

“Well, he was in mine. He was different back then. We used to stay up late, talk about everything. About home, about classes. He was a really good artist too, though he never gave himself any credit. It’s stupid, I guess. But I thought that, even if the rest of that group didn’t stick… I guess I thought he was the exception.”

Reani put a comforting hand on their knee. “But what happened?”

“Vandren.” Bryce said the name with venom. “He was also down the hall. Super charming, friendly. He got really close to a couple of the young, impressionable freshman. Something always smelt a little fishy to me though.” They shook their head. “It’s probably just jealousy, in hindsight. But there was always something… slippery about him. Marius didn’t notice. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

“They started hanging out all the time. Vandren would bring him to parties, bars. He was older, so they wouldn’t even card Marius when he was with him. Vandren would watch Marius get destroyed every time and just... not do anything. It drove me crazy.” Bryce took another break with deep breaths. Reani waited.

“After a month of seeing this happen, I decided to go with them one night. Just to keep an eye on him, you know?”

“On Vandren or Marius?”

“Both. I was worried about Marius, and I definitely didn’t trust his company. So I went with them to this club. Really shady-looking business. Don’t even remember the name of the place, but I remember the front door had this yellow, slitted eye painted on it. Vandren got us in, but as soon as we were in the crowd, he disappeared. I think Marius got upset, and he got really drunk. Apparently this kind of thing happened all the time. I got the sense that he might’ve felt things for Vandren, which stung. But once Marius got really drunk, he dragged me to the middle of the dance floor and… he kissed me.” Bryce spit out the last few words. Reani was enraptured with the story, and gestured for them to continue. “I knew he was doing it to piss off Vandren or something. He didn’t see me like that. But-” Their voice broke. “It felt really nice, if only for a second.” Bryce took a moment to reminisce, a pained expression still on their face. “As soon as it ended, though, I felt like shit. I decided I needed some air, so I walked over to the back door. Ran into the missing Vandren by the bar. He seemed to be reasonably sauced as well, cause I could smell it on his breath. He threatened me. Said some really scary shit, like he ‘knows people’ or something. It was all way too much for me, so… I left. After that, Marius just acted like nothing happened. He became more and more of a tool the longer he hung out with Vandren. So, outside of work, I stopped talking to him. Started hanging out with you, and focusing on my schoolwork and stuff. He ended up rooming with Vandren this year. We stay out of each other’s business. It’s better like this.” They started pulling their hair back up into a bun. Before they could finish, Reani put her hand on their arm.

“I’m really sorry.” Reani gave a compassionate smile. “No one should have to go through that.”

Bryce smiled at her. “I know.” They continued putting up their hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. It was just easier to write him off as a basic asshole.”

“Well, he  _ was _ kind of a basic asshole,” Reani countered, and Bryce laughed.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But I talked to him the other day, and honestly, I’m having a harder time writing him off.”

Reani looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Because I don’t think he remembers what happened that night. I think he  _ also  _ thought I had written him off as a basic asshole.” 

Reani sat for a moment, just thinking. “That would explain some things.”

“Like what?”

“Uhhhhh…” Reani hesitated, processing all the information she just received. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”

Bryce raised an eyebrow. “Tell me what?”

Reani licked her lips. She took a moment to contemplate the situation before speaking. “I- I think Marius may like you, actually.”

Marius looked taken aback. They thought for a moment before they spoke again. “What makes you think that?”

“Well,” she drew the word out. “I was talking to him this morning, about all the crazy stuff that’s been happening with Mr. Widogast and everything. And he mentioned having some selfish reasons for wanting to help, and…” The pitch of Reani’s voice kept ascending until the last words became a squeak. “He said he was really glad you guys came to a truce. And he blushed a little bit and I teased him about liking you and he got redder and redder and then he left to get tea super fast after that.”

Now it was Bryce’s turn to process. A slight blush rose to their cheeks as they leaned back in the chair, forgetting about the new lights that now poked their back. 

“Well…” They searched for the right words, only to think of one. “Shit.”


	17. Adult Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment with Dairon. The world is neater here.

Dairon was a straight-forward person. They always had been, and that is how they liked it. They clocked in at the bookshop, worked hard, clocked out. Walked to their car. Went to class. Drove to the dojo. Taught a class. They never really had time for external affairs, and very rarely did they get attached to people. But when Dairon got out of work Thursday morning, the first thing they did was call the one person they were close to.

“Why do you have to call so damn early in the morning?”

“Hello, Beauregard. It is noon. It is not early for most.”

“Well, we don’t have class until 4. So it’s early for me.” They heard her grunt as she supposedly got out of bed. “What’s up?”

“A couple of things, really.” Dairon stepped in her car, which had been parked on the street a couple of blocks from The Wandering Word. They closed the door behind them before they continued. “First off, the girl that Mr. Widogast seems to be fixating on is coming by the shop this afternoon. He allowed Miss Reani the chance to decorate all morning.”

“Oh, I’m sure she was ecstatic about that.”

“Raving. But she is the other subject I needed to talk to you about. Do you have some time to talk?”

A long, exasperated sigh came through the crackling connection. “Yeah, sure. But I don’t want any lectures.”

“I was not about to offer any. But I want to know if you have true intentions for the girl. She is young, and could get easily hurt by you if you are not careful.”

“You heard about the fake dating thing?”

“The what?”

“Uh, nothing.” Beau pulled away from the phone, awkwardly coughing before returning to the conversation. “I’m not trying to hurt her, Dairon. I really don’t want to hurt her.”

“So do you love her?”

Beau began to cough excessively, clearly taken by surprise. “Uhhhh… Love is a very strong word, Dairon. But-” she thought. “Yeah, I like her. She’s sweet... and kind, and cares a lot.” Beau coughed again. “I should take her on a real date sometime.”

“Yes, you should.” Dairon stated. “She may get on my nerves every once in a while, but she is a sweet girl. You could do well to have someone like that lighten up your bitterness.”

“Was- was that a joke? Are you fucking with me right now?”

“No.” And with that, Dairon hung up with a slight smile on their face. It had been a joke. They took a moment to be proud of themself, and started up the car. “Maybe she won’t.” They thought aloud for the second time that day. Dairon pulled out of their parking spot and started driving to campus. They had exactly 27 minutes left to get to class, and they liked to be early. 


	18. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wandering Word Bookshop waits with bated breath.

Mr. Caleb Widogast had been waiting with baited breath since he first opened his eyes that morning. He has been trying to not put too much pressure on the situation, to not acknowledge his heart beating to the point of numbness, but it was no use. He picked at the hem of his coat and watched the string fray as he waited behind the counter. It was an old nervous tick, and it was the only reason he chose to wear the coat indoors on occasion. It was a comfort blanket of sorts.

Plenty of customers came in throughout the day. College students picking up the last of their discounted textbooks. Plenty of small children holding their parents’ hands tight as they picked out the books they wanted to read. It made Caleb miss his own parents, who had long since passed. He wished he could call his mother, and tell her about the beautiful girl with the blue hair. In Caleb’s daydreams, he could almost hear her laugh at his foolishness. He’s sure she would have loved her already. He caught himself getting carried away, pulling himself back with the complements many customers gave him for the new decor. Caleb supposed he should keep the lights, given how many new customers had walked in just to see them. He was, admittedly, against the idea of the distracting display, but the foot traffic had proved him wrong. There was reason to Reani’s madness, and he noted to tell her as such when he remembered how to breathe properly.

Marius came in for his Thursday evening shift at exactly 4:57pm, trading off with Bryce. It was the first time Marius had been able to take that shift the whole semester, so Caleb managed a smile and a nod in his direction as he clocked in. Marius smiled kindly in return. He chatted with Bryce for a moment in the last minutes of their shift before they packed up their stuff and left. Even Bryce spent a moment by the door, admiring Reani’s work before they left. They took a moment to glance at Marius while his back was turned. Caleb felt reassurance in this.  _ Even if all of this was for naught,  _ he mused,  _ at least there has been joy found elsewhere. _

Time passed increasingly slower as the day progressed. Beau came in for a moment, yelling at him about his coat.

“But I have always had this!” He defended, poorly attempting to hide the frayed bits he had been picking at.

“Yeah and I’ve always had an ‘attitude problem.’ That doesn’t make it a good thing to keep around.” She exhaled and pulled a paper box out of her haversack. “I got this for you. Don’t make a big deal about it.” He placed it on the counter and opened the lid, revealing cloth of a deep purple shade. “Come on, try it on. I can’t wait around all day.” He pulled the box’s contents out to find a long, purple woolen coat, lined with silk. There was a silver inlay detail, and the rounded metal buttons were silver to match.

“Beauregard, I-” He began. “This is… too much, I could not take this.”

“Don’t make me make you take this.” He holds it closer to himself with the threat, nods, and takes off the old brown coat he’s lived in for decades. Putting on the purple coat felt… right. He noticed his posture correct itself as he had put it on. It was like, with the new coat, he felt a little newer himself.

“Thank you, Beau.”

She smirked at him. “Any time, hot shot. Good luck not fucking this up.” She waved and was out the door. Caleb reached to pick at the lining of his new coat. Before falling into his old habits, he watched his own hand stop before reaching the new silver stitching that held the coat together. It gleamed in the artificial candle’s light. With resolve, he put both hands in his pockets and continued to wait. 

“Nice coat!” He heard a high, familiar voice call out. He looked up to see Jester, the blue haired girl, walking through the front door. He watched as she looked around the transformed shop, her eyes gleaming in the new lights. “Wow, it’s beautiful in here!” She looked to Caleb at the front desk. “Did you do this?”

“Uh… No.” He replied shakily. “My employee, Reani, did it this morning."

"But he asked me to!" She chimed in from behind a bookshelf. 

"Well, yes. Yes I did. But it was her idea, initially." He gave a meek smile to Jester as one of her eyebrows raised. She sauntered up to him dramatically with a smile plastered on her face.

"Caleb," she said in a hushed voice, hanging onto every word. "You didn't do this all for me, did you?"

He looked down at the table. "Would it be okay if I had?"

Jester leaned against the counter, face scrunched as she mimicked an intense sort of thought. "You know, I think that would be more than okay. Like, I think that would be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. At least, that's what I think." She flashed a blinding smile that Caleb couldn't help but reflect. 

"Good, then. Because that's what I did." He coughed awkwardly. "I, um, wanted to apologize for the other day. I do not know if you noticed, but you tend to make me pretty nervous." He met her eyes.

"Oh no, I noticed that. It's not like I'm blind or anything." She grabbed his hands, and he noticed both how sweaty his own palms were, and how cool to the touch her skin was. "But luckily for you, I think it's pretty cute." His face flushed profusely as she leaned in a bit. He noticed himself thoughtlessly leaning towards her as well until they were nose to nose. "So, Caleb, I actually have a question for you. And, before you get excited, it's not about books."

Caleb swallowed hard. "Ask away."

"Next time we go to the park on Sunday, would you maybe like to go together? I mean, like a date?"

Caleb began to smile uncontrollably. "Yes. Yes, I would like that very much."

"Great!" She yelled excitedly, causing Caleb to nearly leap back. He managed to catch himself before falling over. "Oops, sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yes, absolutely, I am very okay." Caleb smoothed out his clothing. "I am definitely more than okay."

"Would you like me to bring pastries on Sunday? I love pastries."

"Sweet tooth, huh?" Caleb smiled. "Do you like tea, by any chance?"

"Yes, I looooove tea. Especially with a lot of sugar." 

"There's a tea shop in town that sells tea with edible glitter in it. I shall bring some when I see you, ja?"

Her eyes lit up, looking even more beautiful with the fairy lights sparkling in their reflection. "That would be so cool." She turned around, still taking in the decor of The Wandering Word. Two sets of eyes ducked down behind their spot peeking through the bookshelves, and Caleb chuckled to himself as he waved to Jester on her way out. Once she was out of view of the windows, Reani and Marius began to cheer. Caleb's face managed to become even more red. He tried to ignore the burning sensation on his face as he joined his enthusiastic employees in their revelry. He did it. Well, they did it. 


	19. It All Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team comes clean.

“You may want to sit, Mr. Widogast.” Reani rang her hands as her boss took a seat in the armchair by the entrance. He had already put his new coat on to head out. With her, Beauregard, Marius, and Bryce stood, eyeing the floor nervously.

"Alright, what did you break?" He joked, with a hint of nervousness about the eyes. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"We had to be honest with you about something. Some of us didn't feel it would be right to hide it anymore."

Mr. Widogast sucked in his breath. "Okay, now you guys are making me nervous." He ran his hands through his hair, which looked nicer than it had in any of their experience. "What's wrong?"

Reani stepped forward, phone in hand. She quickly searched through her photos before showing the screen to Mr. Widogast.

"That's… my notebook?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry. You just left it out the other day, and I was so curious..."

Beau stepped forward, grabbing Reani's arm and gently pushing her back. "It's why Reani and I followed you to the park last Sunday. It was my idea. We're really sorry."

Mr. Widogast took a moment to breathe, leaning back in his seat. He closed his eyes and sighed, showing for the first time all week how exhausted he had been. The sound sunk into everyone, and the guilt of what they’d done began to truly weigh on them. 

He stood up, looking into each of their faces. He waited for what felt like a long time before putting a hand on Beau’s shoulder. She continued staring at the floor, but he noticed how her shoulders sank at the pressure.

“I cannot condone what you did,” he started, his voice low. “But I understand where you were coming from.” Beau looked up to meet his eyes as he put his other hand on her other shoulder. “You were… coming from a place of concern. I have been shutting myself off from the world for some time now. I see that. Scheisse, I’ve  _ seen  _ that. I just didn’t think…” He sniffled, taking a tissue from the pocket of his coat. “It’s just nice to know you all care about me enough that you’d do something so reckless.” He looked up at the rest of the group. Bryce had tears in their eyes, and Marius was smiling wider than any of them had seen before. 

Beau smiled at her old friend. “You are worth caring recklessly for, Caleb. Remember that.” She pulled away, but not before delivering a solid, playful punch to his arm.

Caleb smirked. “So does this mean you and Reani are not dating? Such a shame; you two would make a handsome couple.” Both Beau and Reani’s faces turned deep red as Beau ushered Caleb out the door. 

“Yeah, yeah, good luck on your date, don’t be a fucking idiot, yadda yadda-” She closed the door behind him, cutting off her own sentence. She looked back to Reani with an embarrassed smile.

“Er, sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Reani smiled, and turned to go clock out in the back. “We would make a handsome real couple, though.” She kept walking, not needing to know the shade of Beau’s face. It was, however, a deep shade of red.


	20. Entry #1429

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most recent entry of one Mr. Widogast.

_ She is wearing a pink dress and my heart in its sleeve. I now know that pink is her favorite color. Last week I knew only three things about the beautiful girl in front of me. The magical girl with the blue hair. I felt it was all I deserved. But I’ve learned a lot in the span of a week. I’ve learned the girl’s name: Jester. I’ve learned she misses her mother. I’ve learned the lilts of her voice, and the animated way she talks about the things she loves. And I’ve learned about myself as well. _

_ I learned that love is not about deserving. Love is not a matter of worth. Of my worth. My employees managed to read the last page, so I write to them now, hoping they come across this as well.  _

_ You do not “deserve” love. You allow it, you earn it, you grow by it. Love is not the flower, but the water that feeds it.  _

_ I am not saying I love her. I still have so much to learn, and I could not be happier because of it. But when the time comes, I will allow myself to love her. I will prove myself worthy of her love. And, in time, I will grow by it, as will you all. Good luck, meine blumen. Grow well. _


End file.
